Video: The Right to Disconnect is NOT Bad for Productivity

by Jim Stanford

Share

The Right to Disconnect legislation being passed recently has attracted criticism from Opposition leader Peter Dutton and business groups, who say it’s bad for productivity.

They may need to learn some basic maths, because they couldn’t be more wrong.

Centre for Future Work Director Dr Jim Stanford explains.

Research indicates the average Australian worker performs 280 hours of unpaid overtime per year, equating to more than $130 billion across the labour market.

The new legislation’s ‘reasonableness’ test still grants employers great scope to contact workers out of hours when it is genuinely necessary.

Nevertheless, merely affirming that workers don’t need to be on call 24-7, and should be allowed to turn off their devices after work, has sparked loud complaints from old-school guardians of work attitudes.

Read more in this article: https://australiainstitute.org.au/post/the-big-error-at-heart-of-right-to-disconnect-opposition/

You might also like

Young woman using cell phone to send text message on social network at night. Closeup of hands with computer laptop in background

“Right to Disconnect” Essential as Devices Intrude Into Workers’ Lives

Australia’s Parliament is set to pass a new set of reforms to the Fair Work Act and other labour laws, that would enshrine certain protections for workers against being contacted or ordered to perform work outside of normal working hours. This “Right to Disconnect” is an important step in limiting the steady encroachment of work